Terry Tamminen on the youth activists at Copenhagen's COP15 talks:
Other than the anti-war campaigns of the 1970s, it’s hard to recall a movement that has been so embraced, even motivated, by the world’s youth. Solving the climate crisis is not the only thing these young people are focused on--hey are also inventing, embracing, and sharing the solutions. Twitter, Facebook, Badoo, Bebo, MySpace, and Flickr are among the most active social networks that are ablaze with discussion about climate change and tips of what to buy, what to avoid, and other ways to reduce their carbon footprints. Why should policymakers, investors, or businesspeople care about this? Because these are the voters and consumers of the next 50 years and they’re very serious about this low carbon thing. A marketing exec once explained to me why the 18-34 age group was so important - - they will buy several cars, for example, in their remaining lifetime, while someone at age 55 may only buy one more. He wanted those youthful eyes, ears, and brand loyalty focused on his products and spent millions to understand that coveted age group. Ditto the politicians, as they think of future elections.
